Directed by: Ishana Night Shyamalan
Written by: Ishana Night Shyamalan
Run Time: 1 hour 42 minutes

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Being the daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, first-time director Ishana Night Shyamalan has a lot to live up to, especially when venturing into the world of supernatural horror. Her father has enjoyed much success with many titles including the modern classic, The Sixth Sense (1999) as well as more recent cult favourites like The Visit (2015) and Split (2016). Serving as producer on his nepo-baby’s very first film of her own, the cinematic father-daughter duo will no doubt be hoping that The Watched (The Watchers in most other territories) will continue to solidify the Shyamalan name as a leader in suspense cinema.

Based on the novel by A.M. Shine, the film follows Mina (Dakota Fanning), a young woman who becomes lost in the depths of a vast forest in the west of Ireland. Surrounded by brooding trees, clouds of fog and eerie noises, she’s taken in by Madeline (Olwen Fouéré), a stranger she finds taking shelter in a large room with two others deep in the forest. An enormous two-way mirror on one of the walls exposes their every move to the Watchers, a group of mysterious creatures who venture out of burrows every night to make sure the four inhabitants are obeying their rules. 

It’s an incredibly intriguing premise, invoking elements of recent suspense thrillers such as 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and It Comes At Night (2017). Rather than just focusing on the human side of this premise, The Watched takes the opportunity to be creative with its antagonists too. As with each passing night it reveals more and more details of these mysterious creatures. The film introduces strong elements of fantasy and folklore when exploring the world of the Watchers themselves. And while the horror genre has already tackled these ideas in such films as The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Watched explores them with a certain depth that helps it to stand out.

That isn’t to say that the human side of the story is neglected, however, it is where The Watched starts to falter. This being Shyamalan’s first film, both in terms of writing and directing, it’s to be expected that not every aspect will be fully realised. Her debut suffers from some obvious ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) and some egregious delivery of exposition, particularly involving the development of the lead character. It’s a possibility this was a decision made by studio executives, as a certain awkward dump of exposition involving a character’s past is soon followed by the same information being given in a more natural, engaging and subtle way.

Some of the character writing also leaves a lot to be desired. Georgina Campbell recently gave an excellent lead performance in horror sleeper hit Barbarian (2022), however here she comes across as rather wooden, most likely as a result of her character being given so little personality and development on the page.

Although where The Watched really does shine is in the Shyamalan’s direction. Having gained some previous experience from her father – she was second unit director on his two most recent films: Old (2021) and Knock at the Cabin (2023) – the tone is incredibly tense and atmospheric, similar to his best work. Long, creeping shots of the woods force you to look into their depths, daring you to spot anything abnormal. Often, horrors lie in the distance, with the film cleverly cutting away straight after something might have moved in the background, just before the viewer can register what they’ve seen.

Terrified facial expressions help perpetuate the on and off-screen terror; Dakota Fanning in particular is a stand out in this regard. Her character is rather unique, suffering with feelings of grief and guilt after a tragic event, with the film showing us how it’s shaped her as adult life. It’s a surprisingly honest and original approach to the ‘trauma backstory’ trope in horror and it pays off in a quiet yet satisfying way.

That being said, the final act of The Watched does struggle with some choppy editing, with some of it playing out unusually one-note. Nevertheless, thanks to the sincerity in the performances and the relationships developed between the characters it involves, it does stick the landing. However, these final moments do feel in line with the previous, middling 90 minutes: ultimately solid, but somewhat slight.

So while The Watched maybe doesn’t quite live up to its fullest potential, it remains a promising start for the first-time filmmaker, and the next generation of the Shyamalan storytellers.

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Star Rating: ★ ★ ★ 

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